Washington DC: My favorite photos.

Here is a sample of my favorite photos from a Washington DC trip last year. Click on any photo to enlarge it.

(White House)- sorry for the blurry picture it was dark out.

 

What essentials should you bring when traveling?

Documentation:

• airline tickets or e-ticket confirmation
• cruise documents
• passports and visas (if necessary) or proof of citizenship (check with your cruise line for requirements)
  
• wallet and fanny pack or backpack
  
• driver's license and auto insurance card* - in case you decide to rent a car when ashore
• medical insurance cards and medical history (especially if traveling alone)
• another picture ID - if you don't take driver's license
• credit cards - be sure to call credit card companies before traveling to alert them you are traveling outside your normal area ATM card
• watch
• cash
  
• 3 copies of airline tickets, cruise tickets, passports/visas, itinerary - pack 1 copy in carry on, 1 copy in checked luggage, and leave one copy with someone at home
• contact numbers to report lost/stolen credit cards
  
• emergency numbers at home
• prescription drugs and any other essential medications in carry on bag*
• glasses, contacts, contacts cleaner*
• extra reading glasses*

Essentials (Other):

• sunglasses
• reading sunglasses*
• guidebooks and other port of call information
• foreign language phrase book or dictionary*
• maps
• reading material - books to read while on the plane or lounging by the pool
• journal or notebook and pen/pencil - for making notes to tell your friends back home about your experiences
• business cards with email address to give out to new cruise friends
• currency conversion chart*
• plug adapter and converter*
• cell phone and charger
• home and email addresses of friends/relatives back home - for sending postcards, emails, or gifts
• laptop computer
• disposable underwater camera - for snorkeling or beach days
• digital camera and manual
• extra memory cards for digital camera
• batteries for digital camera
• battery charger

* Only if applicable to you personally.

QOTD: What items are essential to pack in extreme weather (can be hot, cold, etc.)? Any packing advice?

Friday Thoughts: Travelers Box

Friday Thoughts: Travelers Box

Image courtesy Travelers Box. 

Travelersbox allows coin-laden travellers to lighten their load by depositing those coins into one its automated machines at airports around the globe. The automated kiosks take your unneeded coins and bills, and then transfer the amount to your PayPal account or give you a selection of gift cards, including Groupon, the Gap, Best Buy, and yes, even Starbucks. Users also can choose to donate the money to charity, and there is no fee to complete the transfer.

Founded by Tomer Zussman, Idan Deshe, and Dror Blumenthal, the idea for Travelersbox came to Zussman after frequent trips between the U.S. and Israel.

Note: Quote source

I haven't tried this yet but it looks interesting if you have foreign money laying around.

QOTD:
Have you used Travelers Box? Would you use it it if not?

 

How to add clickable images to your blog.

Have you ever wanted to add a linked image to a blog post, page, or your sidebar? Here is a tutorial that show you how to do just that. It's pretty simple and easy. This also works well if you want to customize your header menu with images. To use any of the codes, just copy and paste them into an HTML editor or blog post. You can also use the keys ctrl + c and then ctrl+v. The tutorial starts after the jump.

First, you will need to either create an image or find one and download it to your computer. If you are download an image make sure you either have permission to use it or it is licensed under a Creative Commons license.

Secondly, upload it to a image sharing website. I recommend Imgur and Photobucket.

Thirdly, copy the direct link and paste it in the following code here it says add image URL. Also add the link where you want the image to go to where it says add link URL. I have added an example of how it could look below.

<a href="LINK URL HERE"><img src="IMAGE URL HERE" title="ANY TITLE HERE" /></a>

 Here is an example of how it could look:



That's it. :) You have successfully made a linked image. Now, to add it to a post you will need to be in HTML mode, paste it in, and then you can go back to compose. If you are adding it in a sidebar make sure to be in "code" mode, not "rich text".

Here is a quick screencast I have made on how to add a linked image to a blog post:

Some common questions:

How do I center it?

Add the <center></center>   tags around the entire code.

Can I create a non-linking image? 

Sure, just use  <img src="IMAGE URL HERE" title=" ANY TITLE HERE" /></img>

If you need any help, let me know below and I will try to help.

QOTD: Have you used this on your site?

 

Wordless Wednesday

Pros and Cons of MyBB Forum Software

MyBB**, a forum software loved by many.

This is only one option out of the hundred other software you have to pick from, so don't just read this post and then think you need to use MyBB for your forum. In this post, I will be talking about and highlighting some pros and cons about MyBB.

First, some background information about MyBB from the companies website (http://www.mybb.com):

"With everything from forums to threads, posts to private messages, search to profiles, and reputation to warnings, MyBB features everything you need to run an efficient and captivating community. Through plugins and themes, you can extend MyBB's functionality to build your community exactly as you'd like it."

Now, let's get into the meaty stuff shall we?

Pros:

- Ease of use. Yes, if you are a beginner to the forum world MyBB is very ease to use and modify once you have it installed and everything is configured. Unlike other forum softwares such as PhpBB, mods and plugins can be installed within five to ten minutes, if you know what you are doing.


-Clean design. The stock or default theme that comes with MyBB is very sleek and modern, you could run your community off of it for a few months without changing themes even. They also make it very easy to customise, if you do choose to keep it (though I do not recommend that- more on that in a later post).


-Privacy. MyBB has many default features, and even plugins, that allow you to have complete privacy over your board. For instance, I have a plugin installed that let's members limit who can see their profiles. I also have it set up so guests can not see any users profiles or signatures.


Cons:


-Slow or non-existent support. Yes, the support at MyBB is often times terrible. I have support posts from 3-4 months ago just sitting after pages of new threads, ever to be answered. Oh, and a simple question about how to change the footer? That might take up to a week.


-Security. MyBB is infamous for having a lot of hacking attempts. They have recently stepped up their game in MyBB 1.8.4 by adding in the option to have 2FKA (Two factor authentication). While pretty much all bugs get fixed over time, they take a while to fix and patch them. Passwords are also very easy to crack because of the way they salt and hash them (more info on those two terms here).


-Mods, themes, and graphics. Part of the reason a lot of people stayed on version 1.6 is because there is a large lack of modifications and theme available on the current version of MyBB, 1.8.4. A lot of people can't, or don't want to spend a huge amount of money on plugins or themes so they are left with a few small pickings. I luckily hired a theme design company, Norm Designs, to make a custom theme for my forum and it turned out great.


**MyBB stand for My Bulletin Board if you did not know.
 

Scenic Views

Here are some great scenic views I have caught while traveling. These photos and videos were taken in Cape Canaveral, Florida. The first picture was taken on a bus ride to our resort and the second video is when we were on a Duck Boat tour. Enjoy!

Copyright Chic Travelology 2015

(Made with iMovie)

QOTD: Share some of your photos and/or videos in the comments.

Friday Thoughts: Direct train to Europe

You can now board a train in London and a few hours later get off by the Mediterranean - the new direct service between St Pancras and Marseille is the furthest passengers have ever been able to go on a train from Britain without getting off. But why, more than 20 years after the Channel Tunnel opened, have direct services to the rest of Europe been so slow arriving? 

Note: Image and quote source. 

I think this is an interesting trip. Many people who maybe do not want to fly, or spend the money to fly can now travel for less and via a different method. The amenities seem nice also, such as the breakfast and WIFI for example.
I would like to see this expanded to add more countries, and something like this would be a nice idea in the USA to travel 49 states or so (can't drive/ride to Hawaii :-) ), but using Amtrak instead. Or maybe even Greyhound buses.

QOTD- Would you take this train? If you have, what was your experience?

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

More photos after the jump.

Like this post? Please share it with your friends and fellow travelers then!: 

Atlantis Photo Trip Report: Part #2

 

Continuation of Atlantis Photo Trip Report: Part #1. Click HERE if you did not read it yet. Click on any photos to enlarge them.